"Xiao Rong, has something been going on with you?" Qin Feng asked as they sat together in the library slaving over homework.
"What do you mean?" he asked, not looking up from his scattered sheets.
Qin Feng's lips puckered up as he watched his friend stare at the papers in front of him. He flipped a few pages of a math textbook and looked back to the questions. Qin Feng has known this boy for so long, they confided in each other about anything they were struggling with and he knew the male wore his feelings on his sleeve like an open book and that's why he felt like he was keeping things from him, that he's been lying.
Zhen Rong furrowed his eyebrows and silently tapped the back of his pencil against his lips. Qin Feng's eyes wandered to the action and felt an urge blossom in him that happens way to frequently for it to be normal. Zhen Rong pressed the eraser tip into his bottom lip thoughtfully and Qin Feng's mind drifted from his questioning just moments ago to take in the soft pink feature. His heart jumped in his chest at the thought of those lips pressing against his.
Zhen Rong looked up then and Qin Feng quickly averted his gaze, looking down to his own work. "What's wrong, why are you so quiet?" He asked.
Qin Feng swallowed around the lump in his throat. "It's just that you look out of it sometimes and some days when the guys and I come to get you after class to go home together, someone tells us how you've already left," he informed.
"It's nothing. Just busy; homework and things" Zhen Rong said shortly before looking at the watch on his wrist then back at Qin Feng. "Sorry I have to go, Mr. Yang wants me to help him set up the instruments in the music room" he brushed of his best friends inquiries whilst packing up.
Qin Feng watched feeling unsatisfied at his answer. He felt like the male wasn't telling him something, scratch that; he knew Zhen Rong wasn't telling him something.
"Okay" he pouted, "just leave me here to waste away" Qin Feng commented dramatically.
Zhen Rong grinned, all his teeth showing and his eyes crinkling. Qin Feng loved that, the gesture never failed to make his heart skip a beat and have a tingling feeling erupt in his tummy. For as long as Zhen Rong was in his life, even if he never found out his deep feelings for him, he wanted the male to continue to smile at him like that because his best friend being endlessly happy was something of an energy source for him.
Zhen Rong reached out and ruffled Qin Feng's hair until his bangs were askew all over his face. He smacked Zhen Rong's hand away and fixed his hair, giving him a glare that held no real hostility or anger.
His friend let out a peal of laughter, "don't worry, Xiao Feng, you'll survive".
Zhen Rong left after that and Qin Feng reluctantly went back to his work about things he had no clue about.
/////
Qin Feng had only stayed another hour before he got fed up and packed his things up to leave. He checked his phone that he had neglected the entire time but only found a message from Huo Shufen, that was just of a stupid meme he somehow found funny. Qin Feng rolled his eyes and pocketed the device, making his way out of the library. His mind drifted back to Zhen Rong suspicious behaviour, he was definitely hiding something, but what? Zhen Rong has never kept anything from him and neither the other way around, so what could be making his friend keep his lips on lock?
Qin Feng sighed while he walked down the hall hoping it wasn't anything serious or he would worry wholeheartedly. As he walked along he said 'hello' to a few people he knew. When he passed by a washroom down a deserted hallway something drifted into his ears and he stopped abruptly, taking in the sounds coming from inside.
Listening closer it sounded like someone was shouting in plea, to Qin Feng it sounded as if whoever was inside could be in trouble. He looked at the door to the males bathroom and without another thought he entered but was surely not ready for what he saw when he rounded the corner. In the open space where the stalls lined the back to his right and in front of him on the furthest wall was a row of urinals, to his left was the sink and big wall mirror; that's where his eyes were looking, opened with shock.
There was Zhen Rong atop the counter next to the sinks, his back pressed to the mirror with two people pinning him to it while he struggled against them, tears coming out of his eyes. There was a group of guys standing around him--- one was attacking his best friend, ripping and cutting at his shirt with a pair of scissors and another trying to take of his jeans. Qin Feng couldn't believe his eyes at seeing Zhen Rong trying hard to get out of their grip and using his feet to kick them away.
"No please! Stop!" Zhen Rong cried.
"Why? Don't you want to get naked for us? Isn't this what you do at your strip club? Think of this as a private service" the male who was determinedly destroying Zhen Rong's shirt said. Qin Feng recognized him as Gu Chen; captain of the dance club. Every girl found him hot and attractive and some had pathetic crushes on him that will never come to fruition with such a massive playboy.
"What the fuck do you think your doing!?" Qin Feng growled angrily when he recovered from his stupor. Everyone in the room turned towards him, Zhen Rong's distressed tear stricken face only made him angrier. How dare they do this to his friend?! How dare they touch him like that with heir filthy hands!? Qin Feng curled his own fingers into fists as he walked over before pushing at the two males who were pressing Zhen Rong into the mirror so that they'd let go of him.
Qin Feng pulled his friend down towards him, his sad but relieved eyes looking at the him. "Who the fuck do you think you are to touch him like that!?" Qin Feng blurted, turning to Gu Chen who just stared at him as if he were a mere fly.
"What? We were just having fun with the schools new gay toy," he stated without a hint of emotion, Qin Feng heard Zhen Rong suck in a breath.
"You have no right to do this to him! Don't ever touch him or come near him again, I'll personally pound you 6 feet under" Qin Feng glared threateningly. He was so furious but he was mostly mad at these guys in front of him for touching the person he loved so callously.
Gu Chen smirked. "Is the faggot your boyfriend? Are you guys balls deep in each others asses?" the male laughed and so did the others who were standing beside him.
Qin Feng was taken off guard as he stared incredulously at the male, "What?" was all he could muster.
"Tell me, how does it feel to gag on each others d*cks?" The smirk Gu Chen was giving was filled with pure mockery.
Qin Feng frowned deeply, the people at this school were all disgusting and cared about nothing but themselves. He said nothing to the dance club captain and gripped Zhen Rong's hand tighter not even in the right state of mind to enjoy the warmth of it enveloping his.
He pulled Zhen Rong out the bathroom before taking off the sweater he was wearing and tossing it to him so he could cover up since his shirt was in bad condition. Qin Feng then regained his grip on his friend's arm and led them down the hall, still swirling with anger; he was even mad at Zhen Rong who didn't tell him he was experiencing things like that.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Qin Feng asked in a tight voice, still pulling the male behind him. "Why didn't say something?" He continued until they reached his locker where he stopped and turned to fully address him.
Zhen Rong didn't answer he only looked towards the ground. "How long?" He Feng tried and Zhen Rong's mouth twisted down and after a while trailed his big eyes onto Qin Feng who still wore a frown. Zhen Rong didn't like that he made him wear a face like this. He was a nuisance even to his best friend.
"Since the day after the confession" he said.
Qin Feng's nose flared as the anger kept on simmering in his chest, he threw down Zhen Rong's hand that he was unknowingly still holding, "For that long and you said nothing!?".
Qin Feng didn't know why he couldn't calm down, clearly Zhen Rong was still distressed. He should be comforting him after what just happened but anger fueled him. At this point he knew it wasn't because of his friend but because of himself; he had let all this bypass him even though he knew something was wrong, he's been feeling like as of late all he did was let Zhen Rong down. He didn't even tell him that he was in trouble, did he think he didn't care? Worst---did he not trust him?
"You should've told me! I could've....I would've..." Qin Feng trailed off, suddenly feeling more upset than angry.
He didn't know what he could or would have done, yell and shout? What would that do? Those harassing Zhen Rong wouldn't care that he was angry; fight them? Even if he said that to Gu Chen he knew better than anybody that he wouldn't stand a chance. Is this why Zhen Rong didn't tell him? Because he knew he could do nothing? He sighed before turning and walking away leaving a troubled Zhen Rong standing there, alone.